Your Scan to Email Could be About to Stop Working. Here Is What You Need to Do.

If your office photocopier or multifunction printer sends scanned documents to email through Microsoft 365 or Exchange Online, you need to read this. Microsoft is permanently switching off the old authentication method that most printers use to send email. When that happens, your scan to email will simply stop working.

This is not a rumour or a maybe. It is a confirmed change from Microsoft, and it affects every business using Microsoft 365 with any brand of printer, not just Xerox.

What Is Happening?

Microsoft is disabling something called Basic Authentication for SMTP. In plain English, this is the old method your photocopier uses to log into your Microsoft 365 email account and send scanned documents. It works by sending a username and password in plain text, which Microsoft has decided is no longer secure enough.

The replacement is called OAuth 2.0, which is a modern, token based authentication system. Instead of sending your password every time, the printer gets a secure token that proves it is authorised to send email. Google, Yahoo and most other major email providers have already made this switch. Microsoft is the last major one to do it.

When Is This Happening?

Microsoft has announced that Basic Authentication for SMTP will be permanently disabled from December 2026 for existing accounts, with new accounts losing access even sooner. However, Microsoft has been gradually tightening access and some businesses are already experiencing issues. The smart move is to make the switch now rather than waiting for things to break.

What Will Stop Working?

If your printer or photocopier currently uses Basic Authentication to connect to Microsoft 365, the following features will all stop working: scan to email (the big one that most offices rely on daily), internet fax, forwarding incoming faxes to an email address, and any automated device notifications sent by email, such as low toner alerts or error reports.

For most businesses, scan to email is the critical one. It is used dozens or even hundreds of times a day in a typical office. When it stops, it causes immediate disruption.

Which Devices Are Affected?

This change affects every device from every manufacturer that sends email through Microsoft 365 using Basic Authentication. That includes Xerox, HP, Canon, Ricoh, Konica Minolta and every other brand. It is not a Xerox specific issue, it is a Microsoft change that impacts the entire industry.

The good news is that most modern Xerox ConnectKey devices can be updated to support OAuth 2.0 through a free firmware update. Xerox is rolling out these updates across its product range. Once the firmware is updated, the printer needs to be reconfigured to use the new authentication method.

What Do You Need to Do?

There are three steps. First, check whether your printer currently uses Basic Authentication to send email through Microsoft 365. If you are not sure, your IT team or managed print provider can check this for you. Second, make sure your printer's firmware is up to date. Xerox is releasing free firmware updates that add OAuth 2.0 support. These do not require any hardware changes, just a software update on the device. Third, reconfigure the scan to email settings on the device to use OAuth 2.0 instead of Basic Authentication. This involves setting up an authentication flow in your Microsoft 365 tenant and configuring the printer to use it.

For businesses with one or two devices, the Device Code Flow is the simplest option. You authenticate once at the printer and it stays connected. For larger fleets, the Client Credentials Flow is more practical as it allows centralised management across all devices.

What If Your Device Is Too Old?

If your printer or photocopier is too old to receive the OAuth 2.0 firmware update, you have a few options. You can use a third party SMTP relay service that acts as a bridge between your old device and Microsoft 365. You can route email through an on premise mail server that still supports Basic Authentication. Or you can replace the device with a newer model that supports OAuth 2.0 natively.

If your device is already several years old and approaching end of support, this might be the push you need to look at a newer machine. Modern Xerox devices come with OAuth 2.0 support built in, along with better security features, lower running costs and improved functionality.

Why This Is Actually a Good Thing

It might feel like an inconvenience, but this change makes your office more secure. Basic Authentication sends your email password in plain text every time your printer sends a scan. That is a genuine security risk, especially for businesses handling sensitive documents. OAuth 2.0 eliminates that risk by using secure tokens instead of passwords. It is the same technology that protects your online banking and cloud services. Your printer deserves the same level of security.

How XOS Can Help

If you are an existing XOS customer, we can check your devices, update the firmware and reconfigure scan to email for you. If you are not sure whether your current setup is affected, we offer a free assessment to check your devices and advise on the best path forward. And if your equipment is too old to support OAuth 2.0, we can discuss upgrade options that will future proof your setup.

Do not wait until scan to email stops working. Get ahead of this now.

Contact XOS at xosuk.co.uk or call us to arrange a free assessment.